Ubisoft Singapore, the studio currently working on Skull & Bones, is being investigated by a national watchdog for fair and progressive employment practices over claims of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination.
Singapore's Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) told The Straits Times that on July 23 it had received anonymous feedback to media articles "about allegations of workplace harassment and unfair treatment" at Ubisoft's Singapore studio.
That feedback was received by TAFEP just days after an investigation by Kotaku was published, featuring interviews with over twenty current and former Ubisoft Singapore staff. Sources reported a broad range of issues affecting the studio in recent years, ranging from discriminatory racial pay disparities, sexual harassment, and bullying by managers. The majority of the toxic work conditions allegedly featured under the studio's previous Managing Director Hugues Ricour.
When questioned about the allegations at a press event on August 6, The Straits Times reports that recently appointed studio Managing Director, Darryl Long, said "It's very important that we can talk about these things and that we acknowledge what's going on in our industry right now [...] We need to start to change the way we are perceived and the way we act internally as well."
Per The Straits Times, Long said that Ubisoft Singapore does not accept discrimination, harassment, or misconduct of any kind. The studio has reportedly hired a third-party agency to look into complaints. "We have taken concrete action to formalize how misconduct is dealt with," said Long. He did acknowledged that the studio has seen "some challenges over the past decade" and that there is "still work to be done about [its] culture".
In Singapore, misconduct regarding workplace discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as age, gender, race, religion, and language can result in severe sanctions for a company. If found guilty, not only could TAFEP require the studio to implement new policies to prevent future incidents, but the Ministry of Manpower could also prohibit the company from applying for new work passes for foreign workers for up to a maximum of two years.
News of the harassment claims come at a tumultuous time for a number of studios within the games industry. Hundreds of Ubisoft employees from around the globe recently signed an open letter asserting solidarity with Activision Blizzard staff as employees from the latter company staged a walkout in protest of the response their company’s leadership had made to the lawsuit that highlighted harassment, inequality, and more within the company.
With the investigation surrounding Ubisoft Singapore still in its early stages, TAFEP has urged anyone with knowledge of workplace criminal conduct, be it assault, harassment, or otherwise, to report incidents to the police.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
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